Combination opening and display clip for cans



March 6, 1934. M, ETHERTON 1,949,792

COMBINATION OPENING AND DISPLAY CLIP FOR CANS Filed May 1, 1933 lHllll I lllllllll II'III'IIIIIIII'I;

Inwentor Mer yl. Ethertan.

Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION OPENING AND DISPLAY CLIP FOR CANS Claims.

This invention relates to containers or cans and is designed to provide means whereby cans may be attached to display cards or boards, an inci dent thereto to provide means whereby the hold- U ing devices to sustain the can on the display board or card, are not only concealed, but are also sufficiently strong and rigid as to permit assembly of the cans on the display card prior to shipment.

Another object of the invention is to provide means in the general form of a tab or grip, whereby cans of the fiber or pasteboard type may be readily and easily opened.

with the general objects named in view, and

others as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and organization of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a display board with one of the cans of the invention secured thereto.

Figure 2 is an enlarged rear elevation of the can assembled on or secured to the display board.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the can before the tabs are bent to engage the display board.

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the can, the supporting tabs and the end closures in disassembled position.

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross section through one edge of the can to indicate the rolling or crimping of the edges of the closure on the clip or tab.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 of a slightly modified crimping method for readily opening the can.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of one of the separate clips or tabs.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of a closure formed integrally with a tab or clip.

In the said drawing, where like reference characters identify corresponding parts in all of the figures, 1 indicates a display card or board hav- 46 ing a series of spaced openings or slots 2. The

container or can may comprise a flattened tubular sheath 3, although it may be of any shape, and usually is made of paper or pasteboard.

Heretofore, it has been common to close the bot- 50 tom, flll the can, and then place and secure the top closure. The closures are as shown in Figure 4, before being crimped in position, and comprise a. flat central portion 4, an upstanding wall 5 for engagement with the perimeter of the inner face 56 of the side wall of the sheath, and a flange 6.

When the closures are crimped or rolled onto 4 the opposite ends of the tubular body or sheath, the flanges 6 are rolled over the ends of the cans into substantial parallelism with the outside face, and then the end flange is inturned and slightly embedded in the wall of the tube as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

One method of providing the sustaining clips or tabs of the invention, before the closures are rolled onto the sheath, is by placing a V-sha-ped clip over the edge of the container, preferably in alinement with the longitudinal center of one side, such clip having legs 7a and 7b, respectively inside and outside of the sheath. The bottom of the can is now rolled into position, the action of the die embedding the edge of the flange 6 in the material of the tube and slightly bending the outside leg '71) of the clip, and pressing both legs against opposite sides of the edge of the tube, through opposing pressure applied by the flange wall 5 and the overlapping and crimping of the flange 6.

The can may now be filled, and the top closed in any suitable manner, such as by having a top clip positioned in alinement with the bottom clip. The clips may now be bent to assume a right angle position, and are engaged with their respective slots in the display card or board, and are bent in opposite directions or otherwise clinched to secure the can to the board. After complete assembly in this manner, the card is ready for shipment. With this method of assembly, it will be found that the cans are securely held in position on the display board and will withstand the shocks and jar incident to ordinary methods of handling in shipment.

As a modification of the structure to make it easier to open the cans, it has been found that a slip or loosely crimped top may also be used, the

bottom clip being chiefly relied upon to retain the can in proper relation to the display board. One method of accomplishing this is shown in Figure 6, where one part 8 of the perimeter of the can is crimped in the ordinary manner to slightly embed the edge of the closure in the side wall of the can, while the other side 9 of the closure is either only slightly crimped or the flange 6 is shortened to avoid complete crimping. When it is desired to open this type of construction, the operator can apply lifting force to the tab or clip, and it will be found to readily loosen and raise the corresponding side of the closure, which may flex the far side of the can to act as a hinge.

In practice it has been found preferable to form and described, Figure 8 illustrates a construction in which a can closure member 10 is formed with an extension tab 11. When'this closure is applied to a can the tab 11 will function in all respects similar to the separate clip hereinabove described, but the labor of separately assembling the parts is completely avoided.

From the above description, it will be evident that I have produced a construction of the characterdescribed which possesses all the features of advantage set forth as desirable, and it is to be. understoodthat I reserve the right to all changes falling within the spirit of the invention and without theambit of the prior art.

:4 liclaiml 1. A shipping display card for filled cans, comprising a display board provided with a plurality of slots; and a series of sealed cans arranged on'said board, each "can being provided with an extension tab passing through a slot in the board and clinched on the opposite side thereof.

2. A shipping and display assembly for cans, comprising a base member formed with an opening, a can resting against said base, and nonresilient bendable means integral with the can and interlocked with the base to secure the can in position.

3. A shipping and display assembly for cans, comprising a base member formed with a pair of openings, a can resting on the base, closures for the opposite ends of said can, bendable strips extending from the closures through the base openings and interlocked against the opposite side thereof.

4. A shipping and display assembly for cans, comprising a base member formed with an opening, a can resting against said base, a closure for the can end, and non-resilient bendable means inserted between the closure and the can and having its free end interlocked with the base to secure the can thereon.

5. A shipping and display assembly for cans, comprising a base member formed with an opening, a can resting against said base, and a closure for the can end having a nonresilient bendable extension extending through the opening in the base for securing the can thereon.

lVIER-YL ETHERTON. 

